Ikea extends PV offer to France
The furniture brand has begun offering solar panels and systems online throughout the country. French solar company Voltalia will be its strategic partner for the sale of its Solstrale modules.
Record-setting solar auction could open India up to foreign investment
Developers from France and Germany and investors with access to cheap U.S. and U.K. finance were among the winners in a 2 GW procurement round which saw Spanish company Solarpack lodge a record-low price for Indian solar power of $0.031/kWh.
France expands limits of ‘energy communities’
The French energy regulator has expanded the maximum permitted distance between members of an energy community from 2 km to 20 km.
European consortium bid to bring 25.4%-efficient heterojunction-IBC solar cell into mass production
The EU-funded Nextbase project aims to manufacture heterojunction, interdigitated back-contact solar modules for less than €0.275/W. Solar panels featuring the Nextbase cell tech are expected to have a conversion efficiency of 23.2%, according to the European Commission.
French railway operator buys 40 MW of power through solar PPA
The 15 to 20-year power purchase agreement is expected to provide around 2% of the electricity consumption of all SNCF passenger trains.
Semi-transparent mini BIPV panels for solar windows
European scientists have developed mini modules with an active area of 14 cm² and a 3.68% efficiency rating. The panels also have a self-adjusting feature that can help to mitigate the amount of light when they are exposed to full sunlight, or to the temperatures of buildings with large windows and/or glass facades.
French bifacial standards measure up
A global assessment of bifacial testing methods conducted in Singapore has endorsed the approach taken by France’s Institut National de l’Énergie Solaire.
Another PPA for large scale solar in France
The deal is the fourth power purchase agreement secured by Voltalia in its homeland. French retailer Auchan will buy the electricity under a 20-year contract.
France assigns 152 MW in commercial and industrial PV tender
The final average price for power generated by solar systems with capacities ranging from 100 kW to 500 kW came in at €96.49/MWh. The price for installations ranging in size from 500 kW to 8 MW was €86.17/MWh.
Solar costs have fallen 82% since 2010
The levelized cost of energy generated by large scale solar plants is around $0.068/kWh, compared to $0.378 ten years ago and the price fell 13.1% between 2018 and last year alone, according to figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency.
